Daughter of Creation
by WhoLockedDemigod
Summary: Percy Jackson, captain of the Goode High School Swim Team and Hero of Olympus, was found dead one day with a young girl crying over him. He was declared legally dead, so why is it that, several days later, Percy is quite fine and walking into his English class with no memory of his death.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Sirens wailed in the streets of New York as police and people crowded a curious scene. Laying in an alley was a teenage boy, maybe 17 years old, with a five-year-old girl standing over him, tears streaming down her face. The boy's stomach had been clawed open, his face also scratched beyond recognition.

When the police asked around, no one was quite sure of what had happened. Some said it was an escaped lion and the teen had grabbed a baseball bat and attempted to protect the girl. Others claimed the boy had a gun and had tried to mug a man, who had, in an act of self-defense, grabbed a knife from his coat pocket and slashed the boy before running off.

The girl herself was not helping. She refused to talk about the events of that day. She would mutter things in her sleep, though. Things like, "_Stop, Percy, stop. No! Don't hurt him! Don't hurt him! Please, don't hurt my big brother."_

She didn't even tell the officers her name.

Finally, after several days, the police determined the teen's identity. A headline went out in the newspaper that very morning:

RECORD-BREAKING SWIM CAPTAIN FOUND DEAD

Goode High School, the home of the state's top Swim Team and the only school Percy Jackson had yet to be kicked out of was quite loud. Students who had been gone for the summer were filling classrooms, reuniting with old friends, and meeting new teachers. Finally, the bell rang, signaling the start of a new day and a new year.

Students found their desks and teachers called attendance. In an English class, Paul Blofis glanced down his attendance chart, marking Percy Jackson absent. Percy, a demigod son of Poseidon, had been gone on a quest for the past few days and had yet to return.

He stood up in front of the class and began with calling role.

"Justin Anderson?"

"Here."

"Wyatt Bjorn?"

"Here."

"Annabeth Chase?"

"Hello, Pa-Mr. Blofis," replied the blonde daughter of Athena.

Paul continued to take role, skipping Percy's name when he got to it. He submitted the attendance through an online software the school had installed over the summer and stood up to teach.

"Good morning students! My name is Mr. Blofis. Welcome to your English class. You will be expected to read four books this year."

A sudden screech interrupted Paul's introduction as the principal began to speak over the PA system.

"Students and faculty, please pardon the interruption. It is with my deepest regrets and apologies that I must inform you," the voice paused for a minute, and a muffled noise came over the speaker. "It is with my regrets that I must inform you that one of our own has passed away."

The class, most of whom had their heads on the desks, suddenly looked up with rapt attention. Paul cocked his head, curious.

"It is a tragedy when one of our dear members passes away, and today, the man who has left us… is…" There were more muffled sobs. "Percy Jackson was found dead, mutilated in an alley three days ago."

There was silence. It was as if the entire world had gone silent. Two wails, two cries of anguish, arose from the well of silence. An English teacher who had just gotten used to his step-son's life, and a blonde bookworm who had lost the same boy for eight months suddenly collapsed. As they broke down, the rest of the school did, as well. Close friends of Percy's—the swim team, his demigod friends, his mortal friends—began to cry as well. Some of the girls who didn't know him well were crying, and many of the guys who had admired and were jealous of him in the past choked up.

Percy Jackson, swim captain of Goode High School, was dead.

Paul left as soon as he could collect himself from his desk, taking Annabeth with him. As soon as he explained his relationship to Percy, as well as Annabeth's, the school allowed them to rush home to Sally's apartment, where they found her sitting on the couch in shock.

"Sally?" Paul asked hesitantly.

Sally turned to look at her husband. Before a word could be said, Annabeth rushed to Sally and hugged her like a girl would her mother, crying into her shoulder.

"Sally, is it true?"

Sally nodded numbly. "I… I think it is."

Annabeth looked up at her, tears staining her eyes. "How could this happen?"

Sally shook her head. "I don't know." Then she broke into tears, as well. Paul walked over to them and wrapped his arms around the girls, trying to comfort them.

The doorbell rang and, letting the girls have their moment, Paul answered it. Standing outside was a police officer and a little girl.

"Excuse me, is this the Blofis residence?"

Paul nodded.

"I'm sorry for your loss, sir, but I do have a young girl here who insists that Percy Jackson was her brother."

Paul looked at the girl. "I've nev-" Paul was about to tell the officer that he didn't know the girl when Sally appeared at his shoulder.

"Julie! Where have you been! I've been worried sick about you!"

The girl looked up at Sally and visibly relaxed.

"Come inside, Julie! We've missed you!" Sally ushered the girl inside and Paul thanked the officer before closing the door.

"Sally, who is this?"

"I don't know, but it's the girl that Percy was with when he was killed. What's your name, sweetie?"

The girl sat down on the couch. "I'm Lanie."

"Is that a nickname, Lanie?"

"I think Mommy said it means Atalanta."

Annabeth smiled a bit and Sally nodded before responding, "That's a lovely name, Atalanta. I have one more question for you. Do you know Percy Jackson?"

Lanie nodded gravely. "Percy saved me." She got visibly upset. "H-he said he was going to take me somewhere safe, but a big dog found us when we were hiding in one of the alleys. His pen became a sword and he fought the dog, but the other dog got him. He killed it before it could hurt me, and now… Now my brother is dead!"

"Your brother?"

"He said that he would be my big brother and that we could live together and that he would find me a new mommy! But now, he's dead!"

"What happened to your mother?"

"Daddy… Daddy hurt her and one day, she wouldn't wake up. I was so scared that I ran away, and Percy found me. He said I could be part of his family, but Daddy's looking for me now, so that's why we were hiding."

"Atalanta, I'll be your new mommy. I am-was… Percy's mommy, so I'll gladly be yours."

"Do you make blue food?" she asked excitedly.

Sally laughed a bit. "Of course I do! I'll make blue pancakes tomorrow, okay, Lanie?" Lanie nodded. "Great! You can sleep with me and Paul tonight, but tomorrow, we are working on getting you a room set up, okay?"

Lanie grinned. "Thanks, Mommy! You are going to be super cool!"

Sally smiled, though pain flashed in her eyes, mirrored in the eyes of Annabeth and Paul as they thought of Percy and how much Lanie reminded them of him.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N So, I got a huge following in the first 20ish hours (10 followers may not be a lot to you, but this is my fourth story, so if you brag, consider yourself banned, _¿comprende?)_ so I took my time to write the second chapter, and here it is! Enjoy, and please comment!**

**Chapter 2**

Annabeth sat on the subway heading downtown. The gods, for whatever reasoned had summoned her, and she was not one to disobey the ultimate power. She exited and entered the Empire State Building.

She nodded to the doorman, who knew her face at this point. She withdrew her security card from her pocket and a button labelled 600 appeared in the elevator. Being the Architect of Olympus had its perks, she supposed.

The doors dinged and she stepped onto the newly designed walkway that connected the mortal world to Olympus. The city gleamed in front of her, but what she had once held so much pride for seemed dull and uninteresting. She had noticed that; ever since Percy had died, colors seemed dim, architecture held less allure for her, and life seemed empty without his sea-green eyes and playful smirk.

She pushed the doors to the throne room open and was met with two gods: Poseidon, and her mother.

They looked up from whatever they were bent over and noticed her.

"Annabeth, darling, come here," her mother said. Annabeth did as she was directed.

"Is something wrong, Mother? Does Aphrodite want another annex on her temple?"

"It's nothing like that, dear. Poseidon and I were talking,"

"Wait. You and Poseidon held a civilized conversation?"

"Yes, dear." Athena was obviously upset at being interrupted, but she held back her anger because she knew her daughter was grieving for the son of the sea god. "But only because it pertained to you and his son."

"His son? You mean Percy?"

"Indeed. The only civilized being to come out of the sea, I might add. But that is beside the point. What we were going to say is that we would like to honor him on Olympus, and we would like you to be the architect."

"You want to make a shrine to Percy? I would love to help, but I have school."

"Which is why I would stand beside you as the secondary architect. I will follow your every wish, darling, and make sure work is done while you can't be here. Poseidon is going to bless the shrine, thought with what blessing, I do not know."

"That would be lovely, mother! Thank you so much! And you, Lord Poseidon!" She nodded respectfully to the other deity, who nodded at her in return.

"Now, I have asked Hecate to create a double so that you may go to Camp Half-Blood during the week so that you can arrange Percy's funeral."

"For the second time," Annabeth said, smiling slightly.

"Now! Get to Camp dear, and bid your siblings hello."

"I will, Mother. Thank you!" Annabeth bowed and left the throne room, heading back down to the mortal realm. She summoned the Gray Sisters' cab and they drove her to Camp.

As Annabeth crossed the border, she realized it wasn't only her that the world seemed dim to. Camp had responded negatively to Percy's death. The lake was a sickly shade of green instead of the usual bright blue. Demeter's children were kneeling in a barren field where strawberries had once grown, and no matter what they tried, plants were not sprouting from the ashen dirt.

Annabeth stood silently just inside the border marked by Thalia's tree. As she regained her composure, she walked to her cabin where her siblings were sitting in a circle on the floor.

"Hi, guys."

They looked up. "Annabeth!" one of them called.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm planning Percy's funeral."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine! Now get back to whatever you were doing! I have to talk to Chiron."

The Athena campers slowly returned to their circle where they were playing a trivia game that was inexplicably entertaining to play.

Annabeth, true to her word, walked to the Big House to speak to the centaur.

He saw her a smiled sadly. "Annabeth. How are you?"

"I've been better," she said quietly.

"Indeed, have we all. Camp won't be the same without Percy."

"What was he doing on this most recent quest?"

"We had reports of frequent monster attacks in a small town in Maine. Percy went up there to fix the problem. Why?"

"He died in New York, and there was a girl with him."

"A girl? How old is she?"

"Maybe six. Her name is Atalanta, and Percy apparently brought her back from wherever he had gone. She said her mother was killed by her step-father and that Percy said he'd be her new brother and Sally would be her new mom. Sally's all but adopted her already."

Chiron nodded. "I see. There have been no satyr reports from the area Percy had gone to, and there haven't been any missing children on mortal news stations. I'll think about what's going on. In the meantime, bring her here, if you would. I would like to see if she is a demigod."

Annabeth nodded and left the room to retrieve Atalanta from Sally.

She opened the door and Sally glanced to where Annabeth had just walked in.

"Hello, Annabeth. What are you doing here?"

"Chiron was wondering if I could take Lanie to Camp. She did see all the monsters."

Sally frowned slightly and nodded. "Here, I'll drive you two."

"Thank you, Sally."

Lanie came running down the hallway when she was called. She saw Annabeth and jumped into her arms. "Hi!"

"How are you, Lanie?"

"I'm good! Paul and I were putting a bed together for me."

"That's fun! Listen, Sally and I are going to take you somewhere. Is that okay?"

"Are we going to Camp?"

Annabeth was shocked. "How do you know about Camp?"

"I heard you and Mommy talking about it! Let's go!"

Sally grinned as she turned the corner, pulling on an overcoat and holding her keys in her hand. "You ready to go, kiddo?"

"Sure thing, Mom! Let's go!"

Sally and Annabeth sat in the front of the car while Lanie was strapped into the back seat. When they reached the hill in front of Camp, Sally stayed in the car.

"We'll be back soon, Sally. I promise."

Annabeth led Lanie to the top of the hill where she passed the border with ease. That was the first sign that the girl was indeed a demigod. She then took Lanie to Chiron, who could probably tell her more.

Chiron smiled at the duo as they entered. "Ah, this must be Atalanta."

"She goes by Lanie."

"Well then, Lanie, nice to meet you. I am Chiron."

"You're part horse!"

Chiron smiled. "Yes, I am. I am a centaur."

"That's fun! So, why am I here?"

"Did you know your father?"

"Only that mean man Mommy married when I was young."

"Ah, so you had a step-father. Did he hurt you?" Lanie nodded. "I'm so sorry, my dear! Well, I have something to tell you. Here, at Camp Half-Blood, everyone is a demigod. That means that one of their parents is an immortal Greek god or goddess."

"A Greek god? That's even better than I imagined! I always imagined that Daddy would come home and take me and Mommy to his rich-person house, but if he's a god, maybe he can do even more! Who's my daddy?"

"I don't know. You must be claimed first."

Annabeth smiled at the young girl. She was just now realizing it, but the world seemed to brighten when Lanie was nearby, not in the same way it did when Percy was with her, but in a way that seemed new and foreign to the daughter of Athena.

She glanced out the windows and noticed that the lake looked slightly less green and the dirt had returned to its original rich brown. Who had sired this child?

"You can take her back to Sally now, Annabeth. She needs a mother. I've placed a protection spell on her so that no monsters sense her. And Poseidon has long since protected Sally."

"Thank you, Chiron. I'm going to be staying at Camp for a while to prepare for Percy's funeral. Is that okay?"

"More than okay, dear. Make yourself at home!"

Annabeth took Lanie back to Sally's car, where the woman was reading a book.

"Here she is, Sally. She's a demigod, but she's protected by magic."

"Thanks, Annie. Do you want a ride home?"

"No, I'm staying at Camp for a few days."

"You are always welcome with Paul and me."

"Thanks, Sally. I'll see you guys soon, okay?"

"Okay, Annabeth. Stay safe!"

Annabeth smiled as the woman drove away with the young girl, then she turned and walked back to Camp, where everything had grayed once again.

_What kind of powers does that girl have?_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Please pardon how this was slightly delayed. I was out of town all weekend, and I just wanted to say thanks for the reviews, guys! I feel kind of bad, giving you this silly filler chapter. Well, have fun with this one, I suppose. It isn't my best work, but I enjoyed writing it. And mini-disclaimer that will last the next several chapters, I own Lanie and the plot. Maybe the mentioned daughter of Aphrodite. Not sure on that one yet... Anyway, enjoy!**

**Chapter 3**

Sally had taken the day to help Lanie set up her room and get cleaned up.

Lanie had almost nothing to her name, seeing as she had run away from home until Percy found her.

"How about we go shopping?" Sally suggested nonchalantly.

Lanie's face, however, lit up at the prospect. "Can we, can we, can we?"

Sally laughed. "Sure. Why are you so excited?"

"You aren't joking? Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Lanie was practically bouncing off the walls at this point.

"Are you okay, Lanie?"

"Yep!" she said happily, popping the p. "It's just that, whenever my other mommy tried to take me shopping, Daddy would start to yell at her, and then Daddy would start to hit her." Tears began to form in her eyes.

"Don't cry, Lanie! I'm your mommy now, remember? And I'm gonna take you shopping all the time!"

She sniffled and looked up at Sally. "Really?"

Sally smiled. "Absolutely. So, let's start with getting you some new clothes. One of my son's friends owns a store down at the mall, and I'm sure she'd be happy to help you find some clothes."

"Your son? You mean… Percy?" she asked hesitantly.

Sally nodded sadly. "Yes. Percy was good friends with a daughter of Aphrodite, and she always gives me discounts at her store. I'm sure, being somewhat familiar with your situation, that she would be happy to help us out."

"Oh boy! Come on, Mommy! Let's go!"

Annabeth sat silently in the Athena cabin. She had designed a shroud for Percy once, when he had gone missing during her Labyrinth quest, but he meant so much more to her now. How could she possibly describe exactly what Percy meant to her by sewing it into a sea-green cloth?

One of her siblings poked his head through the door. "Annabeth?"

She glanced at him. "Yes, David?"

"Chiron would like to see you. But you might want to take a shower first." The boy withdrew his head from the doorframe.

Annabeth glanced down at herself and groaned. It had been three days since Annabeth had found out that Lanie is a demigod, and she had yet to leave her bed, take a shower, and sew Percy's shroud.

Annabeth stood and walked to the shower, her back popping every step of the way. When she finally got to stand under the hot stream of water and the dirt of the past three days washed away, Annabeth sighed and leaned against the side of the shower.

"Percy," she muttered under her breath, picturing his sea-green eyes, bright white smile, and his tan skin.

Finally, after what felt like ages under the boiling water, Annabeth exited the shower, dried off, and got dressed before walking to the Big House. Chiron stood on the porch, waiting for her.

"Annabeth, your mother has summoned you to her palace."

"Thank you, Chiron. I'll head to Olympus right away." Annabeth turned to walk toward Half-Blood Hill, but Chiron grabbed her arm.

"Annabeth, not that palace."

"Wait, you mean… the other one?"

"In fact, I do. I have a way to transport you there in my office. Follow me."

Annabeth followed Chiron to his office, shock written across her face. It was generally accepted and widely known that Athena had a palace on Mount Olympus that she lived in. But among the Athena cabin, there were rumors. Rumors that spoke of an ancient castle, filled to the brim with all knowledge collected by humanity since the dawn of time. Nobody knew the truth of these rumors, and many denied their existence, but Chiron had just confirmed that, yes, Athena had another home somewhere in the world.

"I will see you soon, dear. Say hello to your mother, and try not to make a mess when you land." Chiron exited the office and shut the door, leaving Annabeth standing in the middle of the room, confused. Just as she was about to leave, the room started spinning and Annabeth was swallowed by a swirling gray tornado.

Paul took his seat at his desk, glancing down at the newly updated attendance chart. Percy's name had been removed.

Paul sighed and took attendance, skipping over Annabeth's name, knowing she was still at camp.

Paul had just sent attendance off to the office and was about to begin his lesson when the door creaked open. Paul didn't look up until one of the students gasped and the scrape of chairs on the carpet could be heard.

Standing, just inside the doorway to Paul's classroom, was a very confused, very-much alive Percy Jackson.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Sorry about how long it took guys! I've been super busy with school and I've got this essay due tomorrow that I really need to work on, but I am happy to say that today, February 16, 2015, I have no school so I could write this chapter really quickly. Consider the story disclaimed, and here goes nothing.**

**(THE ACTUAL) Chapter 4**

Percy stood in the doorway, confused. "Is something wrong? Do I have something in my teeth?" He proceeded to try and get the imaginary piece of corn stuck between his pearly whites out of the crack separating one tooth from the next.

"No, Percy, it's not that. It's just that... you're supposed to be dead."

Percy's grin contorted into a twisted smile. "You got me. I'm not Percy. I'm a demon." Before the demon could do anything, however, Percy's body split in half, golden light glowing from the cracks and out of this shell of a hero crawled... a baby Percy.

Paul was flabbergasted. What had just happened?

Before anyone could move to help baby Percy, the door slammed open and in stepped Danny DeVito. The class dropped to their knees, bowing to their god.

"Percy, my son, come to me." Baby Percy was surrounded in a brilliant light which floated to Danny's face. When the two, the Son of Poseidon (or, apparently, Danny DeVito), and the man himself touched, they fused, an even brighter light illuminating the classroom. When it dimmed, there stood the most disgusting hybrid anyone had ever seen.

"I leave you with one last parting statement!" came the joint voice of Percy and Danny. "WhoLockedDemigod does not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians." Then the hybrid left.

**A/N OKAY I'M REALLY SORRY ABOUT THAT! I promised a friend I would write it as my new chapter, so I figured it could be my disclaimer. There. That lasts for the rest of the story, and then some. Enjoy the actual chapter, coming up next.**

**Chapter 4**

Percy stood in the doorway, confused. "Is something wrong? Do I have something in my teeth?" He immediately began to use his tongue, trying to free that tiny piece of food that he believed to be stuck in between his teeth.

"Percy, why- how- what?" Paul asked, words failing him.

Percy smirked. "Why, how, what what, Paul?"

"How are you here? How are you alive?"

The smirk fell from Percy's face. "How am I alive? What do you mean?"

"You died," Paul murmured under his breath.

"What?"

"You died!" Paul yelled. "And we were all in mourning. Annabeth, most of all."

"Oh gods," Percy muttered. "Annabeth. I haven't seen her since I left. What is today?"

"The 29th."

Percy's eyes widened. "I've been gone for ten days? No. I went to Maine and I was back two days later. Where did those extra eight days come from?"

"Percy, you died."

"No!" Power laced Percy's voice and every head in the room immediately began to shake. "I did not die. How is that even possible?"

Paul backed away from his step-son, terror filling his eyes. "Percy," he said softly. "Percy, I love you, but you died. You need to go to Camp. Find Annabeth and… Mr. C. I don't know how to help."

Percy turned away from Paul and rushed out of the room, colors brightening wherever his feet touched.

"What happened to Percy?" Paul asked quietly.

Percy rushed past the camp border, not noticing the sudden return of color to the ashen fields, the draining of green from the lake, the infusion of green in the trees. No, Percy had his eyes set on one thing, and one thing only: Annabeth.

"Annabeth!" he yelled. "Annabeth, I need you."

A door opened on the porch of the Big House and out stepped Annabeth, hugging Chiron. Percy could hear their words as if he were right next to them, despite the distance.

"I'm sorry, dear. I know how much he meant to you."

Annabeth was crying. "And I swear that I heard his voice just now. Oh, Chiron, I miss him."

Percy perked up at the sight of his girlfriend. "Annabeth!"

Annabeth burrowed deeper into Chiron's chest. "I heard him again!"

Percy frowned. "Wise Girl, I need you and your lips over here right now."

Annabeth perked up, listening to the words that floated to her on the wind. "Percy?"

"As I understand, you have been deprived of my marvelous smooching skill for the past ten days, and that means I have ten days of hanging out to make up."

Annabeth, at this point, knew that the words she could barely hear could have come out of her Seaweed Brain's mouth, and that this must be some cruel prank. She finally looked away from Chiron and saw, standing in the middle of the omega-shape of cabins, her Seaweed Brain. _Her _Seaweed Brain. Her _SEAWEED BRAIN! _"But… You're dead?"

Percy rushed toward her, faster than Annabeth had ever seen anyone move and enveloped her in his strong arms.

"Annabeth," Percy murmured into her ears.

"Percy." Annabeth melted into his embrace, savoring the warmth and the smell of the ocean. Colors suddenly seemed more defined. The sun shone brighter. Images gained a new clarity. As she extricated herself from his embrace, these new enhanced senses vanished, though the world did seem brighter somehow.

"I'm here, Annie. I'm here, and I'm not leaving again."

"But… How?"

"I don't know. Paul told me I died, so I came here. You tell me."

Annabeth thought back on the past several days, most of which had been spent in her cabin or with Sally and Lanie. Lanie. Annabeth paused for a moment. What had seemed so special about the small demigod girl?

Before Annabeth could make any connections, Percy drew his face to hers and kissed his Wise Girl.

"I missed you," he said.

Annabeth let a tear roll down her cheek. "And I, you."

Percy rested a minute longer in the embrace of his girlfriend. When they finally pulled away, the rest of camp had just seemed to wake up. A scream of "Percy's here!" rang out through the valley and suddenly, a mob of teary-eyed campers rushed toward the couple.

Percy laughed as he was nearly crushed by his friends. "I guess I was missed, huh?"

Annabeth giggled. "More than you know. Have you seen your mom yet?"

Percy's happy expression suddenly died. "No. Is she okay?"

Percy, with Annabeth's help, extricated himself from the embrace of the camp and walked with his girlfriend to the border of Camp Half-Blood. "So, how do you intend to get back into town?"

"I ran here," Percy said quietly. "Blackjack could fly me?"

"Blackjack's at Camp Jupiter. They have a class to teach winged horses how to fly in battle, apparently. Did you just say you ran here?"

Percy sighed, avoiding Annabeth's question. "So Blackjack's out. I guess I could run back to my mom's place…" He trailed off and looked up. "You wanna come with?"

"Percy, I know that we are both in decent shape, but running back to Manhattan is crazy!"

"Fine. Come here. Get on my back."

Annabeth frowned. "Why?"

Percy didn't answer, but rather picked up his girlfriend and began to run, slowly picking up speed until the trees were speeding by, faster than they ever had in a car. When Percy stopped in front of Sally's apartment, Annabeth was breathing harder than her boyfriend.

"How did you do that?"

Percy shrugged. "I don't know, but let's go inside and figure it out." Percy unlocked the door and glanced inside, checking for his mother.

He stepped in further and heard someone call from down the hallway, "Paul, is that you?"

Percy grinned, and, in a perfect imitation of his step-father, replied, "Yes. Come here! I have a surprise for you."

Sally, followed by a little girl, turned the corner and immediately did a double-take at the sight of her deceased son. "P-Percy?"

Percy smiled. "Hi, Mom."

Sally ran into his arms, crushing him in a grip that would rival Hercules. Tear formed in her eyes. "Percy, is it really you?"

Percy nodded into his mom's head and she started crying harder. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too, Mom." Percy glanced up at the girl that had followed his mom and grinned. "Lanie! You found my mom!"

"Percy!" she laughed and launched herself into the family hug. "I missed you!"

Sally grinned up at her son. "I've decided to adopt her. She's gonna be your sister."

Percy grinned. "I'm so happy for you guys."

"And she's a demigod."

Percy's face fell. "What?"

"She's unclaimed, but she passed camp boundaries without any trouble."

Percy closed his eyes and took a deep breath before exhaling and opening them again. "Okay. We'll have to take her to camp for a while. Gods only claim when Chiron is around."

Sally nodded and then turned to grin at her soon-to-be daughter. "Let's go finish, shall we?" Lanie laughed and ran to her room with Sally.

Percy turned to Annabeth. "Nightmares still bothering you?"

Annabeth sighed and nodded. "I haven't slept in days."

Percy frowned. "Well, we'd better fix that." He picked up his girlfriend and carried her to the couch where they curled up around each other and fell asleep in each other's arms. The last thing Percy heard before drifting into Morpheus's realm was the same as the last words he heard as he died.

_"__Sleep well, my new champion."_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N I suppose this is the moment where we are to expect a disclaimer. Consider this story disclaimed. Now, please, please, ****_please _****read the A/N at the end of the chapter. It is very important.**

**Chapter 5**

_Percy stood at the top of a tall cliff, overlooking the whole of the earth._

_Someone stepped up next to him. "Beautiful, isn't it?"_

_Percy attempted to look to the side, trying to get a glimpse of this mysterious figure who had decided to visit him. Finally, he gave up trying to move his head and sighed in agreement. "Yes, it is."_

_ "'__Tis a pity, really, what happened to my daughter, and then her son, and his son and his son after him, that the world has to denounce their existence."_

_ "__What do you mean?"_

_The being sounded amused. "It's a story you know well, young hero. One you live, in fact."_

_ "__Which story? There are so many Greek myths, I could spend the rest of my life trying to find one like this."_

_The amused chuckle came once more. "Peace, hero. I have come to inform you of your new abilities."_

_ "__Excuse me?"_

_ "__You are my champion, Perseus. Surely you understand that that job comes with some… perks, I suppose you would say."_

_ "__Perks? What kind?"_

_ "__You have been elevated above demigod status, Perseus Jackson. You have received my blessing with the full backing of the Council. Demigod dreams may still plague you, but you have control of yourself in Morpheus's realm. Your demigod abilities shall be bolstered by the addition of my blessings."_

_ "__I'm the champion of a god? But… How? Why? Which god? And why would Zeus grant your request? He hates me!"_

_There came a small chuckle from the god standing beside Percy, and Percy had to assume an amused smirk graced the face of his unknown visitor. "Make no assumptions, child. I will see you with my daughter when the time is right."_

_Percy suddenly gained control of his legs and whirled around to face his unknown visitor, who had vanished into the wind._

Percy woke up suddenly, gasping and glancing around for Annabeth. When he couldn't find her, he began to panic. Something changed in the atmosphere of the apartment. Percy rushed to the kitchen where Annabeth and Sally were sitting, talking over blue cookies and hot chocolate. As soon as Percy caught sight of his girlfriend, the air within the apartment shifted back to normal.

"Good morning, Percy!" Annabeth said cheerily. "Did you sleep well?"

Percy shrugged. "Well enough. I had a weird dream."

Sally frowned. "Don't you always have weird dreams?"

"Weird, even by demigod standards," Percy continued. "Something about... I'm not quite sure I remember. A god visited me, I think, and said something about his daughter and his champion."

Annabeth looked at her boyfriend thoughtfully. "Which god?"

"I don't know. I couldn't see his face."

"Anything of note that could help me identify him?"

Percy thought for a second, then shook his head. "Nope."

Sally looked at Percy, preparing to say something before Lanie appeared from down the hall. "Good morning everyone!" she said, skipping down the hall toward Percy, who immediately wrapped her up in a hug.

"Why is everyone here a morning person?" he asked innocently.

Lanie laughed. "I don't know, why aren't you?"

Percy grinned at his sister. "Fair point. How'd you sleep?"

"I slept like a baby!" she said happily. Then her face changed to more of a puzzled look. "But I had a silly dream."

"What was it about?"

"There… there was a person that said he's my daddy."

Percy frowned. "What did he say?"

"He said something about how I'm very special and how he was looking forward to meeting me and his… I think he said campion."

"Campion?" Annabeth prompted.

"Yeah, that! He said he looked forward to when he could meet me and his champion! He said I would really like his champion!"

Percy glanced at Annabeth, who shot him a look that was clearly asking, _Sound familiar?_

Percy nodded slightly. _He said basically the same to me._

"Anything else, sweetie?" Sally asked gently.

Lanie nodded. "He said something about the Council being happy about me. Then he said the Council was confused about who I am, which confused me, cause why would they be happy if they were confused about me?"

Annabeth shrugged. "I'm wondering the same thing."

"Anything else?"

"He said something about Mo… Morp… Morpe…" she said, stumbling over the last word.

"Morpheus?" asked Percy quietly.

Lanie grinned and nodded. "Yeah, that one! Said I could control myself in that guy's land. What does that mean?"

Annabeth glanced at Percy before saying, "It means that you'll be able to control your dreams. Sometimes, people like us can't control their dreams and they get kind of scary. But you'll be safe now."

Sally noticed how reserved Percy had suddenly gotten and asked Lanie if she wanted to go and see if their neighbor's dog had given birth to its puppies yet. Lanie readily agreed and Percy and Annabeth were left alone in the kitchen.

"Percy, are you okay?"

"Her dream matched mine almost exactly. I suppose that makes me…"

"Makes you what, Perce?"

"Makes me his champion."

"You're his champion? Could this have something to do with your-" Annabeth stopped talking suddenly, as if the thought were too painful.

"With my what?"

"With your death?"

Percy nodded slowly. "It must be. So that means something about my… I guess he's my patron, huh?"

"I think that this is the best clue we have so far. Maybe we should take Lanie to camp to see if she gets claimed."

"I don't know how my mom, er, _our _mom would react to that."

"Well, this is a bit of a special case, isn't it? Maybe the gods can make an exception and let Sally stay in camp for a while. At least until her parent claims her? There haven't been any monsters nearby, despite the fact that she knows what she is. That may be Chiron's protection spell, but if she really is the daughter of the god that somehow brought you back to life, then I doubt that spell's ability to protect your sister."

Percy nodded. "Okay, I'll get mom. You IM the gods and ask if they can allow it." Annabeth nodded and walked to the bathroom while Percy fetched his mother and adopted sister from the neighbor's apartment.

Lanie was raving about the puppies. "They were so cute!"

Sally grinned. "Maybe we should get one."

Lanie's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

Sally nodded when Lanie attacked her. "THANK YOU SO MUCH, MOMMY!"

Sally was grinning when Annabeth walked out of the restroom. "Sally, we have something to ask of you."

"Oh?"

"We wanted to know if Lanie could stay at camp until her father claims her."

Sally violently shook her head. "No way! She is six years old and far too young to be shoved into this world!"

Annabeth nodded. "We expected as much, so we've already asked the gods if they mind you staying with her at camp. They would be happy to let you stay with your adopted daughter while we wait."

"They're going to let me into the camp? Fine, let's go. Lanie, please go get some clothes!"

Lanie grinned and ran to her room, grabbing a bag and clothes faster than anyone could say "Gaea's gargantuan goodies."

"Let's go, Mommy!" With a cry of delight, a mortal, two demigods, and the Champion of an unknown god set off for Camp, not prepared for the revelations awaiting them.

**A/N- Okay, here's the deal everybody. I am suddenly becoming aware of certain inconsistencies in the plot of this story. This is a new low for me, as this is the fifth chapter, which is very unfortunate. However, I am aware of them and I intend to fix them. If ever there is something in the story that does not make sense (plot holes, awkward wording, misuse of a word, improper grammar/punctuation, etc.) please tell me in a PM or in the reviews. I don't have a beta, so I'm the only person to read this before it goes up. The one plot hole I am aware of was mentioning in Chapter 2 or 3 that Athena has this awesome castle somewhere, and that Annabeth was to go to it. Nothing happened with that, so I'm rectifying that in the next chapter. Thank you all so much for reading, and enjoy your lives. I hope to update more often.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Thank you so much, to my new beta for this story, TotallyCray-Cray, who was super awesome. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. In a fashion I find somewhat entertaining, I will give one word answers to each review:**

**No**

**Yes**

**Indeed**

**Uh-uh.**

**Bananas**

**Papayas**

**Halleluiah.**

**Death.**

**Now, of course, there were fewer reviews for the last chapter than there were answers, and most of them did not actually answer any questions. However, if you guys begin to submit reviews that can be answered in strange, out-of-context 1-2 word answers like that, I would start replying to reviews. Once more, I do not own Percy Jackson or any associated, canon characters. I write for the fun of writing. Enjoy the story!**

**Chapter 6**

Annabeth sat on her bunk in camp. Sally and Lanie were unpacking their things in the Big House—Chiron had figured that Lanie was too young to try and live with the Hermes campers—and Percy was confirming that no one had touched his things while he was dead, leaving Annabeth alone with her thoughts.

She thought back to when she had gone to her mom's palace.

_Annabeth followed Chiron to his office, shock written across her face. It was generally accepted and widely known that Athena had a palace on Mount Olympus that she lived in. But among the Athena cabin, there were rumors. Rumors that spoke of an ancient castle, filled to the brim with all knowledge collected by humanity since the dawn of time. Nobody knew the truth of these rumors, and many denied their existence, but Chiron had just confirmed that, yes, Athena had another home somewhere in the world._

_"I will see you soon, dear. Say hello to your mother, and try not to make a mess when you land." Chiron exited the office and shut the door, leaving Annabeth standing in the middle of the room, confused. Just as she was about to leave, the room started spinning and Annabeth was swallowed by a swirling gray tornado._

_The tornado unceremoniously deposited her on the ground in a large—like, as-large-as-her-palace-on-Olympus-large—entrance hall. Standing in the center of the hall was the clear-eyed goddess herself. Annabeth slowly shuffled over to her mother. "Hi, mom."_

_Athena smiled slightly at her favorite daughter. "Hello dear. Welcome to my palace. Do you like it?"_

_Annabeth took a better look at her surroundings. With high ceilings, stained-glass windows that tinted the floor in a myriad of colors, and four ornately decorated fireplaces, two on either of the long walls of the hall and spaced equally apart, Annabeth recognized the room alone to be a work of architectural genius. And it took her breath away._

_"It's… gorgeous."_

_Athena's smiled widened. "I thought you might like it. This is called the Come-and-Go Room. It is, essentially, the entrance hall, but in this part of the world, I am recognized as a powerful woman with knowledge of many subjects. My doors are open to those who seek knowledge, and this is where they can arrive to partake in that knowledge. None of these people, however, know of my true identity, and that naïveté has protected me and my house."_

_"Why do none of your children know of this? This is… incredible."_

_"Ah, you see, my children often have the fatal flaw that you also have, hubris, but that is more often than not a direct byproduct of a more dangerous flaw: lust. Not lust in the physical sense, but lust for knowledge, and the willingness to give up anything and everything to be the best and the smartest. Many of my children, I would not trust with this resource." Annabeth went to ask another question, but Athena cut her off. "I know that you have many questions, but the Come-and-Go Room is hardly the place for that. Come join me in my sitting room, dear, and we'll talk over some tea."_

_Annabeth followed her mother through a series of long hallways. Annabeth tried her hardest to memorize the route to the Come-and-Go Room, figuring she would need a way to go back home to Camp._

_Athena took a seat on a big, gray sitting chair. Annabeth sat in the matching chair opposite her mother. They were separated by a wooden coffee table where a tray with tea and teacups was resting, patiently waiting for use._

_"So, Annabeth, do you have any questions?"_

_"Really, just one. Why am I here?"_

_Athena frowned, as if thinking. "It has to do with Percy."_

_"What about Percy?"_

_"When you left Olympus the other day, I remembered something I had seen here. I rushed back and found a lost scrap, a prophecy, possibly not even real, written on it. It spoke of the rise of ancient powers."_

_"W-what did it say?"_

_Athena handed Annabeth a piece of paper with the new prophecy written on it._

_A hero's soul, cursed blade did reap,_

_And the world did fall to fire,_

_The Ancient Lord that lies asleep_

_Will soon escape his mire._

_Three shall travel to the land unknown_

_The young, the smart, the brave,_

_The God of Life, he rules alone_

_And Debts of Death are waived._

_Annabeth glanced back at her mother. "What?"_

_"It was given by the oracle years ago, back when the Flame of the West was in the United Kingdom. No one knew what these cryptic messages meant, but it now appears to be making sense, seeing as how the first two lines speak of the last two Great Prophecies."_

_Annabeth's eyes widened. "You don't mean that this is another!"_

_Athena nodded grimly. "I do. This must be a Great Prophecy. Not only was the Oracle spitting it out; so were other people, people who have no business reading the future. I have given you access to my home so that you may attempt to determine what this ancient power is, exactly."_

_"Thank you, Mom."_

_"Now," Athena said, standing up from the chair, "I will show you how to return home. I have people who have asked for my facilities coming very soon, and they know I am an eternal maiden. I'd rather not explain how I came across a daughter. Chiron will tell you how to come here when you return to Camp."_

_Athena dragged her daughter out through the Come-and-Go Room, showing Annabeth that one of the fireplaces had a secret passage in the back that led to the Big House. Annabeth said her farewells and returned to Camp._

The prophecy resonated in Annabeth's mind. Something about the "Debts of Death." What exactly could they be? She supposed it could be your payment for dying, and that could be the drachma that a person should have on their bodies so that they can pay Charon, but why would anyone care that the Ferryman wasn't getting his money? So the debts of death had to be something else.

The "Debts of Death" could have to do with your soul resting in Hades forever, right? That made more sense, and then Percy would fit into the prophecy as well, because he was killed and did not remain dead, despite the fact that Thanatos was no longer chained.

Annabeth stood from her bunk and stretched her back before walking to Cabin 3 to check on Percy.

She knocked on the door and walked into find Percy and Lanie sitting on Percy's bed. Percy was grinning at his adoptive sister who was focused intently on something in front of her.

"What are you doing?" Annabeth asked the duo. Percy glanced up at her and put his finger in front of his lips: the universal sign for "shush." Annabeth nodded and sat next to Percy. Sitting in front of Lanie was a puzzle, but Lanie had not moved a single piece.

"What's going on?"

Percy's grin grew. "Lanie told me she could solve a puzzle without touching the pieces before putting them into place, claiming that each piece is touched once, excluding the time where she needs to force the pieces together. I wanted to test her skill."

Annabeth nodded thoughtfully before Lanie picked up the first piece, which appeared to be the top-right corner. She placed it down on a small board in front of her—placed there so she wasn't solving a puzzle on a bed— and slowly began to pick up more pieces, gaining speed with each piece she grabbed. Before too long, the puzzle was completed and, true to her word, each piece had only been touched once.

Annabeth's eyes bugged out of her head. "No way! How big was that puzzle?" she asked, turning to Percy.

Percy's grin was bigger than Annabeth had ever seen it. "That was the biggest puzzle I could find in stores. It was 500 pieces. Where did you learn to do that, Lanie?"

Lanie, who was grinning with all the praise she was receiving, shrugged. "I da know. Always could, I think."

Annabeth was about to reply when she felt something tugging at her, just below her navel.

She glanced around curiously, and Percy noticed. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think Chiron called me, though. I'm going to take a look." Annabeth exited the cabin and walked up the Big House, and with each step, the pull intensified.

Chiron looked up from his book. "Annabeth, are you okay?"

Annabeth nodded, a blank look on her face. Something was wrong. This wasn't something she was used to. She focused more on the pull in her gut and brushed off Chiron's next question to walk into his office, where a gray tornado had just begun to form.

"Go figure," she mumbled, before jumping into the whirlwind and being transported to her mother's secret mansion.

Annabeth, slightly used to this form of transportation, landed on her feet, though she stumbled a bit on her dismount. Someone else was standing in the Come-and-Go Room, talking to a woman that looked like Annabeth's mom, though appeared different: smaller, less beautiful, and more human.

The person spared an amused glance toward Annabeth and dove back into conversation with the Athena look-alike.

"Oh, pardon me, but I really need to help my daughter. I feel now may be the time for you to leave, Lucius." The woman rushed over to Annabeth and walked her toward one of the myriad of exits.

"Mom?"

"Yes, dear. It is me. Don't worry. I put on this glamour when the people of this country come to visit, seeing as they do not know I am a goddess."

"Oh. Okay. Who was that?"

Athena glanced distastefully at the door. "An acquaintance."

Annabeth nodded. "I'm sorry for interrupting your conversation."

Athena laughed. "Oh, no worries dear. I have no liking for that man. Now, why have you come?"

Annabeth shrugged. "I felt this pull in my gut, slightly like how Percy describes the pull when he controls water. I followed my gut instinct and it led me here."

Athena nodded thoughtfully, long ribbons of Mist trailing off her face. "I see. This is unusual. Is the feeling still there?"

Annabeth took a minute, blocking her perception of all things except her torso, before nodding. "Yes, it is."

"Then follow it. Let us see what you come up with!"

Annabeth grinned and stood, leading her mother around the libraries of the mansion, slowly growing more confident of the direction in which they were moving. Finally, they arrived at a podium with a thick book sitting on it, opened to page 754.

Annabeth glanced at her mom. "The pull in my gut led me here."

"Touch the book, please."

Annabeth complied and laid her hand on the book's page. As her skin made contact with the worn paper, its pages began to flip of their own accord. The pages came to a stop on page 7, labelled with the chapter title "The Kings of the Universe."


	7. Chapter 7

**Dear readers of this story, I apologize for the long gap in updates. I have been busy and struck with the terrible disease called writer's block. As it is, I have 3 chapters of this story written, and they will, of course, be posted in rapid succession. After the third chapter, the story will start to wind down, and I shall once again pick up my PJO/Soul Eater fic, which only has one or two more chapters left in it. And, as soon as that is finished, and the epilogue is posted, I shall begin a new fic that takes place in the same Universe, though with little to no mention of the anime. Now, please enjoy chapter 7!**

**Chapter 7**

Annabeth glanced at her mother. "Kings of the Universe? Mom, what just happened?"

Athena frowned. "How about we go sit down. Bring the book with you."

Annabeth grabbed the book off of its podium and followed her mother through the maze of shelves, eventually coming to a small clearing in the maze where three armchairs sat around a table with four candles of differing heights sitting on it. Athena took one of the seats and Annabeth took the seat across from her.

"Annabeth, you are aware that my children are blessed with intellect, and do not have other powers, yes?"

Annabeth nodded. "I'm aware. It was part of what made my quest in Rome so difficult, but also made it that much easier."

Athena nodded, sinking into thought. "Well, that is a lie."

Annabeth stared at her mom, gray eyes whirling with thought. "What?"

"Some of my children are blessed with a peculiar talent. They are drawn to the information that is most valuable to them at a given moment."

"And that's what happened there?"

Athena nodded. "Exactly. Now, I did not knowingly give you that power when you were born. In fact, I haven't willingly give it to any of my children since before the Second World War Now, it appears that that ability has been awoken in you."

"How?"

"I believe, and forgive me for this, that it was Tartarus."

Annabeth's eyes narrowed. "How so?"

"Think about it, dear. When you were in the pit, Percy suddenly gained control over poisons, did he not?" Annabeth confirmed what her mother said with a nod. "Nico, he has recently discovered that he can kill with a touch. I believe that the pit awakens new powers and abilities in everyone who survives it, much in the same way the sirens give sailors wisdom."

"And you think that this natural power of Athena children was awoken in me?"

"Yes, and I think that it will be helpful in your quest."

"My quest? What quest?"

"The one that the new Great Prophecy speaks of! Remember, it calls for the young, the smart, and the brave. And I know exactly what occurred to you about the last line. How the Debts of Death being waived had to do with Percy not remaining dead. I believe that you are the smart, and Percy is the brave. Who might the young be, I know not."

Annabeth's eyes widened. "Lanie."

"Lanie?"

"Atalanta, the young demigod Sally Jackson recently adopted. She had a dream the other night, where a mysterious god claiming to be her father came to her and spoke about his champion and her. Percy had a similar dream where a similar god called him his champion. The prophecy is about us three."

"A six-year-old? On a quest? Annabeth, you must be insane!"

"But it does make sense, doesn't it?"

Athena was left searching for words. Finally, she looked at her daughter and frowned. "I suppose. Open the book to the page then, Annabeth, and read us the passage it turned to."

Annabeth opened the book to "Kings of the Universe" and began to read. "_In the beginning of time, there was the world egg, and from the world egg came the first King of the Universe: Phanes. Phanes was the protogenos of procreation. He handed his scepter down to his daughter, Nyx, who in turn handed it down to Ouranus. The scepter was seized by Kronos, who was then overthrown by his son Zeus, who currently rules the Universe. Little is known of the fate of the original ruler. Some say he was devoured by Zeus so as to redistribute his power among his children. Others maintain that Phanes still resides in the universe, eternally asleep. Nyx currently resides in the House of Night in Tartarus, on the border of eternal Chaos. Ouranus was chopped to pieces by his son, Kronos, and cast into the ocean. Kronos met the same fate as his father, but was cast into the pit instead."_

Annabeth glanced up. "It goes on. Shall I continue?" The book suddenly slammed shut. "Nevermind. I must know all that I need to. I've never heard of this Phanes before. Have you, Mom?"

Athena frowned. "I do remember vaguely, at the very top of the Olympian family tree, there was a faded name that started with a _Ph. _Perhaps that was Phanes. Anyway, dear, your newfound ability believes that you know what you must." Athena waved a hand and the book flew back to where it came from. "Remember, always follow your gut instinct, and never allow anyone to stop you. Eventually, you will be able to control your ability and force the information to find you, but until such a time comes, follow the pulls of your instinct and never let your friends hold you back." Athena hugged her favorite daughter and glanced at the clock that had appeared on the table. "I will send you back to Camp. Shut your eyes."

Annabeth closed her eyes as tightly as she could, there was a blinding light, and when Annabeth opened her eyes again, she was standing on a table in the middle of the dining pavilion, clutching a book to her chest.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Percy glanced up, amused at the gasps escaping the lips of his fellow campers. "Welcome home, Annabeth. How is your mom?"

Annabeth looked toward Percy, her piercing gray eyes sparkling in amusement and whirling in confusion. "She's fine, Percy. Are you not surprised by this?"

Percy looked up more fully, noticing that Annabeth was standing on a table. "Either your mom overshot her mark or wanted you to make a dramatic entrance. I'm voting on the latter." He met Annabeth's eyes and they began a silent exchange.

Chiron, slightly shaken by the sudden turn of events, looked back at the campers. "Everyone continue eating. There is nothing to see here, thank you."

Annabeth took a seat next to Percy and set the book on the table, opening it to page seven. "I think I know who your patron is."

Percy glanced up, really interested all of a sudden. "Oh? Who?"

"I believe that it is Phanes, protogenos, er… primordial god of procreation and life. He was the first king of the universe and his daughter was Nyx."

"That fits what he told me, then…" Percy muttered, trailing off at the end. "What do you think his powers would look like then?"

"I think it would be hard to determine because he, being one of the oldest primordials, would be the head of any equivalent that primordial gods have to an Olympian council. He would be the strongest and have the most variety in power. I would think you would begin to notice life springing up wherever you step. And, now here's an idea, you could possibly return from the dead. Now I have little doubt. You were resurrected by the first king of the Universe: Phanes. And now your little sister is one of his daughters.

"But that would mean the prophecy speaks of Phanes," she continued. "Do we really want him waking up?"

"What prophecy?"

"My mom gave me a prophecy that was spoken in centuries past. _A hero's soul, cursed blade did reap / And the world did fall to fire / The Ancient Lord that lies asleep / Will soon escape his mire. / Three shall travel to the land unknown / The young, the smart, the brave / The God of Life, he rules alone / And Debts of Death are waived."_

Percy frowned. "So we have reference to the first two Great Prophecies. Luke fell to the dagger that represented a broken promise or whatever, and Leo defeated Gaea. Debts of Death, would that have to do with the ferryman? Or something different? Because I feel like that part of the prophecy has come and gone."

"I figured the same thing, Perce. I think that the Debts of Death are the requirement for your soul to stay in the Underworld after you die, because if that is true, then you've already begun the prophecy and we just need to find the three to go to lands unknown."

"But what would lands unknown be? I know that demigods haven't been anywhere other than America for a long time, but we had a very exciting and death-defying jaunt on the other side of the pond not too long ago. I think that wherever we go on Earth, it isn't unknown to us."

"That's the key, Percy! On Earth. What if we went somewhere that isn't on Earth? Like, below the earth?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if we went somewhere that isn't on Earth. Somewhere lower than even we have gone?"

"You want the questers to go into Chaos?"

Annabeth nodded. "Think about it! Olympus, been there, done that. Earth, we can find a map and be where we want to go whenever we'd like. Hades, we've both been there several times. Tartarus," she paused and shivered at the name. "We have been to Tartarus. It may be unknown to some, but it wouldn't be considered an unknown land as someone has been there. That leaves one place. A place no one has gone before."

"Chaos."

"Precisely."

"Okay, assuming we are gonna let questers go somewhere more extreme than even we have gone, who would they be? The young, the smart, the brave."

"It sounds like you, me, and Lanie."

"Us? Lanie's too young to go on a quest!"

"But the prophecy calls for it. I'm sure of it, Percy! My mom has said that Tartarus gave me a power, something that no child of Athena has had since before World War II. My gut instinct is telling me this is right. I've discussed it with my mom, and she agrees. This makes sense, and I think we need to approach Chiron about it. Tonight."

Percy sighed and stood. "Fine, Wise Girl, but if any of us get hurt, I'm not going to be pleased. Chiron!" The entire camp turned as one to face the son of Poseidon. Silence reigned for a good five seconds before Percy began to speak again. "I have recently been alerted to a new Great Prophecy." The camp gasped in unison. There was one mutter of, "Another one?"

Annabeth stood next to her boyfriend. "My mother showed it to me, Chiron. She said that it is old, from when the Flame resided in the United Kingdom."

Chiron's brow furrowed. "Proceed."

Annabeth stood up straight and began to recite the prophecy.

"_The hero's soul, cursed blade did reap,_

_And the world did fall to fire._

_The Ancient Lord that lies asleep_

_Will soon escape his mire._

_Three shall travel to land unknown,_

_The young, the smart, the brave,_

_The God of Life, he rules alone_

_And the Debts of Death are waived._"

Chiron stood up and moved in front of Annabeth and Percy. "Are we certain this is a real prophecy?"

Annabeth nodded. "I have discussed it with my mother, and she agrees that it is important. We believe the Debts of Death to be the requirement for a soul to stay in Hades, meaning Percy has completed that portion of the prophecy. The first two lines refer to the first two Great Prophecies, and I have done research, using a power that can manifest in children of Athena."

Chiron's eyes widened and he bit back a gasp. "You mean to say that you have Athena's Gift?"

"What?"

"The power that draws relevant information toward you?"

"Oh. Yes, I have that."

"I see. And Athena's Gift has drawn you a conclusion."

"Indeed. Many of you may not know this, but since Percy has been resurrected, he has discovered that he has been blessed by a patron, and this patron god is also the father of our newest demigod, Lanie Jackson. I have determined that this patron is not, in fact, a god, but a protogenos, or primordial god. He is on a power level with Gaea, Nyx, and Tartarus. His name is Phanes, first king of the Universe, and father of all."

Chiron, as well as many of the Athena campers gasped and stepped away from Percy. Sally, who had been sitting at the head table with Lanie, looked at her daughter.

"Who is going to accept this quest, Annabeth?"

Percy spoke up again. "The quest calls for the smart, the young, and the brave. Annabeth is the smartest person here. Will anyone deny it?" No one spoke. "I, as the blessed of Phanes, believe I am the brave. Again, arguments?" Still no words. "Very well. We believe the young is Lanie." There was immediate uproar.

Chiron managed to get the campers to calm down and pry Lanie out of Sally's arms. "Percy, Annabeth, you can't send a six-year-old on a quest."

"Chiron, I have discussed this with my mom, and she agrees. The prophecy calls for the young, and Lanie is the daughter of Phanes. She fits the prophecy, and no one else does."

Chiron nodded slowly. "But I don't want to send a child on a quest."

"The Fates demand it!"

"Indeed," a new voice whispered, though the whisper carried throughout the pavilion. During the discussion, nobody had noticed one corner of the pavilion darken. "The Fates demand the child come with the two tourists," the voice spat.

Percy glanced at Annabeth, eyes wide with fear, and in the corner of the pavilion, Nyx stepped out of the shadows.

Chiron immediately knelt, and the rest of the camp followed suit. "Lady Nyx. You honor us with your presence. Please, explain how you escaped the pit?"

"That doesn't matter, centaur. What matters is that my father has been asleep for too long! This is how Gaea was able to rise! And now Tartarus is in uproar, enough that I was able to escape, albeit barely. Those two heroes and the youngling must go. The half-primordial will awaken her father. It has been written on the door sealing his chamber since the time before time."

Lanie stood up to stare at the goddess of night, her eyes wide.

"What do you want?" Nyx snapped.

"Are you my sister?"

Nyx's eyes softened slightly. "I… I suppose I am. Hello, dear."

Lanie's eyes brightened. "First a new mommy, and a new brother, and now a new sister! And my real daddy! Mommy, I have a family!" Sally hugged her new daughter and glanced up at Nyx.

"You are the one who cares for my half-sister, then?" Nyx asked. Sally nodded. "Very well. You and your house will have my protection for as long as the child lives there. However, if anything happens to her, I will come after you."

Sally nodded and lowered her head once again. Nyx turned her attention to Percy and Annabeth. "You will find your own way to Chaos, and once you are there, you will learn the secrets of my birthplace. Not everything is as it is on your precious little planet. Be prepared children." Nyx vanished in a flash of darkness, leaving Percy and Annabeth surrounded by unconscious campers.


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, so this chapter is really short, but... chapter 10 should be up soon, so yay!**

**Chapter 9**

Percy and Annabeth, aided by Lanie, attempted to wake the unconscious campers from their unnatural sleep.

"It's not working," Annabeth groaned in frustration. "I think Nyx cursed them."

Percy frowned and nodded. "I guess she did. How do you think we break it?"

Lanie looked up at the two. "We complete the quest and release my daddy!"

Percy nodded to his sister and glanced at his girlfriend. "Makes sense. We have to go to Chaos, then, huh?"

Annabeth nodded. "How do we get there, then?"

Lanie looked at Percy and Annabeth. "Where was the place you met Nyx?"

"Tartarus," Percy whispered.

"Can we get to Chaos from there?"

Annabeth nodded. "But we need to find the Pit."

"Wasn't there an entrance to the Labyrinth in Camp?"

Annabeth nodded. "But it collapsed."

"But there was a direct fall to Tartarus in the Labyrinth, and I think that if we tried to enter the Labyrinth, we'd fall to Tartarus. Please, let's try it."

Annabeth led Percy and Lanie to Zeus's fist where they opened the old entrance to the Labyrinth. Percy grabbed the hands of the two girls and jumped in.

The fall seemed okay at first, as there was still light and even some tunnels to try and peer down as they passed, but after what seemed like hours, the light vanished and the three were falling in darkness.

Annabeth remembered the last time they took the same fall, and how she figured it would take seven days to fall from Earth to the Pit. She still figured that to be true, but she also had Percy and Lanie with her, and a full stomach. Seven days seemed like nothing.

Percy slowed their fall with the water of one of the rivers of Tartarus. Holding Lanie on his shoulders, Annabeth and Percy began to walk a familiar route toward the Hermes shrine.

Lanie's touch on Percy's head kept him feeling healthy and energized. Despite the rougher terrain, Tartarus seemed less full of monsters, and the trio easily made it to Hermes' shrine. They took a break in the comforting aura of the god of travelers before heading once more toward the Palace of Night.

Percy and Annabeth led Lanie toward the cliff where they had met Akhlys for the first time, to be wrapped in the Death Mist. Annabeth shuddered at the terrifying use of power Percy had displayed in that area, nearly killing the goddess of misery. Now, the goddess was of no concern to the Demigods, and instead, they figured that they could jump off the edge into Chaos.

"Are you ready for this, Annabeth?" Percy asked quietly.

Annabeth nodded. "No one has ever done what we're about to do. It's kind of exciting."

Percy gripped the hands of his girlfriend and his sister, and, as a group, the three jumped off of Tartarus and into Chaos.


End file.
